Natalia Antoniou Hadjigeorgiou, The Place (Cyprus)

How would you introduce the Place ?

The Place is a home of Arts, Cypriot Crafts and Traditions located in the Old Town Pafos-Cyprus. The Place offers visitors the opportunity to watch, and admire the skills of the potter, the icon painter, the wood carver, and see in action the art of fused glass and glass painting, the chair maker, the art of wood burning, basketry, not forgetting the ever present clacking of the loom as the weaver creates a traditional piece of intricate design. There is also the opportunity to create your own piece of art with guidance from a professional local craftsperson. the Place also promises a delight for the taste buds with local homemade sweets and delicacies on sale as well as the ever present invitation to taste our local award winning wines, spirits & beer.

We also invite guest craftsmen and women to come and display their work, train people and if you ever wanted to know how to make a flute then a visit to the Place will reveal how it’s done.

Which creative experiences define you the best ?

At the Place we offer a wide range of creative tourism experience under one space and this has helped us to reach economies of scale and “create” many “reasons” for foreign and local visitors to visit The Place.

We offer over 12 workshops of traditional arts and crafts fully operationally by local Cypriot craft people. However the most popular creative experiences at the Place are the pottery, mosaics, painting, pyrography and sand art,

They can also participate in training classes like pottery, mosaics etc.,

We offer a local food shop and a workshop preparing local marmalades and fruit preserves as well as a seminar/projection room.

Here at the Place visitors also can learn how each food product is made and they can actual participate in the preparation process. The experience offered or shared is widely attracted by almost everybody and it is what the modern traveller look for.

We do involve our visitors (foreign and locals) in the creation of the tourists product and the experience.

They create their own piece of art and craft to take home, they learn how to prepared local fruit preserves and other local products. They learn about the local traditions, heritage and culture, they meet the locals, they talk and they interact with them.

They get a real sense of place and the learning experience is so unique and authentic that can last for a life time.

What is the added-value of your project in terms of innovation and authenticity ?

The Place’s Concept it is the unique part of this success. Having so many local artist , experiences and interactive activities under one roof, its innovative. There is no similar space in the whole island.

This project is sustainable not only economically, socially but also environmentally.

Local small producers can gain wages /revenues so they can sustain production, Schools pay annual visits as part of their interactive /external interactive activities.

Live demonstrations such as pottery, basket making, weaving, art of mosaics, pyrography and more, all contribute to social sustainability.

Through our reinvention of traditional crafts to modern fashion accessories, old patterns to meet new needs , forms creative economies and additional benefits towards sustainability mainly on the social and economic.

We are family and senior friendly and as a matter of fact we have something for everyone at any time of the year.

Would you like to add something ?

Uniqueness of the Concept , Authenticity, Space creation/location, Good marketing practices, Management, Accessibility and Competitive pricing is what makes The Place so special !